Muskegon Chronicle fileNorton Shores and Muskegon County Airport firefighters battle a simulated jet fuel fire at the Muskegon County Airport in this 1999 file photo.

NORTON SHORES, MI – The Muskegon County Airport and the nearby West Michigan Christian High School parking lot is set to be the scene of an airline-related emergency simulation Sept. 26.

The realistic exercise is expected to feature firefighters and emergency responders dealing with a simulated airline crash at the airport. The Triennial Full Scale Airport Emergency Exercise is required by the Federal Aviation Administration every three years.

An out-of-service fuselage will be used to simulate the aircraft, including controlled burns on the item. A designated observation area will be available to allow the public to view the exercise.

The drill runs from 9 to 11 a.m. Sept. 26 at the airport in the parking lot of West Michigan Christian, 455 E. Ellis Road. The emergency siren at the airport will sound at the start of the exercise, kicking off the response by emergency responders.

About 50 actors and volunteers depicting pretend victims and families of victims will help provide a more realistic practice for the Norton Shores Fire Department and countywide mutual aid emergency responders. Some of the volunteers and actors will wear injury simulation makeup for the drill.

Rillastine Wilkins

As part of the practice, rescue equipment, vehicles and personnel will be deployed to the airport in the same fashion as if a real airline crash occurred.

“The purpose of the drill is to test the emergency responders’ ability to respond to it and the airport’s ability to recover from an air carrier accident,” said County Commissioner Rillastine Wilkins, who serves as chairwoman of the county’s Transportation Committee. “The scene is made as realistic as possible so our county responders can fully test their ability to quickly and efficiently respond to any emergency that happens at or near the airport.”